The interview was barely 20 seconds long. But it will be remembered for decades to come. On Sunday night, Seahawks cornerback and Compton native Richard Sherman deflected a pass that was intercepted to seal a 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers and a trip to Super Bowl XLVIII.

Moments later, he stood amidst the celebration and was asked to take the viewers through that final play. Instead, what the nation got was an adrenaline-fueled response to his opponent, Niners receiver Michael Crabtree.

“Well I’m the best corner in the game,” yelled Sherman. “When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that’s the result you gonna get.”

To those who know Sherman from his days as a standout student-athlete at Dominguez High School, the interview was nothing out of the ordinary. Especially since it was mere moments after making one of the biggest plays of his career.

“He was still in his game mode and was challenged by an opponent,” said Dominguez athletic director Darryl Smith, who was also Sherman’s former track coach. “He was excited about what he had accomplished. Richard has always accepted challenges.”

“I said, ‘Whoa, this man is hyped.’ He’s definitely in the moment.” said Marvin Johnson, Sherman’s former quarterback and teammate at Dominguez. “I know he made some strong comments, but I’m on his side.”

But Sherman’s interview did have a negative impact after sending the sports world and social media into a frenzy, causing a flood of criticism as sports pundits and articles called out his humility and professionalism. Social media postings and comment threads could be found lashing out with racist remarks and referring to him as a thug. On Monday, Sherman penned an article for Sports Illustrated’s MMQB, defending his comments and speaking out towards those judging him based off those 20 seconds in front of the camera.

“To those who would call me a thug or worse because I show passion on a football field — don’t judge a person’s character by what they do between the lines,” wrote Sherman. “Judge a man by what he does off the field, what he does for his community, what he does for his family.”

The controversial interview comes on the heels of the release of a new Beats by Dre headphone commercial that depicts Sherman being questioned by dozens of reporters, specifically addressing questions about Compton and his “reputation as a thug.”

Advertisement

But the idea of the word thug being used to describe Sherman makes those back in Compton laugh.

“Richard was like a nerd with his glasses and his books in his hand,” said Smith. “But he became a gladiator on that field.”

His former head football coach, Willie Donerson, who still works with the program, remembers Sherman sitting quietly on the team bus, bringing books to the pre-game meal and back from games. But the negative association with Compton fuels a not-so-positive image of Sherman.

“We have that stigma (in Compton) and it’s going to be with us for a long time,” said Donerson. “But we have some great, great kids here.”

By all accounts, Sherman was one of the best to come out of the city and the school, not just as an athlete but as a student and a person before going on to Stanford. And even in his teenage days Sherman was known for his mouth, even if it was directed at teammates.

Donerson remembers Sherman trash-talking three players, not for poor performances on the field, but in the classroom, saying if they kept slacking off in academics they could never accept their scholarship offers. The players eventually brought up their grades and went on to college.

In the end, those 20 seconds in front of the camera on Sunday night was just a small glimpse of Sherman, which many will use to define the cornerback. But to those in Compton, from former coaches and teammates who know the whole makeup of No. 25, those 20 seconds were just a look at the warrior side of Sherman, still coming down from the moment of battle.

They didn’t see the outstanding student or the motivating teammate, whom they refer to as family. They didn’t see the ambassador to a city whose parents still live there and who still comes back to the school to speak to the kids. The player and man Compton is happy and proud to call one of their own.